Adverse reaction to weed killer?

[mailrobc]

Has anyone out there observed ill effects in their dogs when they've been allowed to run in grass or weeds that has been treated with Roundup or another of the herbicides used in outoor recreation areas?
Our three-year-old male Boxer has suddenly staggered and fainted on three occasions while being walked in areas where we suspect Roundup was used to control weeds. We believe he nibbled and/or licked the grass before he went down. Twice he completely lost consciousness for 10-15 seconds. On the first occasion he had been running very hard; on the second he was moderately exercising; on the third time he had only just gotten off the leash.
Our breeder suspects a terminal heart condition which she says is prevalent in Boxers, has never been precisely diagnosed, and for which effective treatment has never been discovered. However, the dog's heart sounds normal, his heartbeat at rest and play is normal, and our vet doesn't know what to think. My husband thought they were seizures, but the vet doesn't agree.
In the last week I started taking the dog for runs in an untouched field that I know is chemical free, and there hasn't been another fainting episode.
Your suggestions and advice are appreciated!

 

[JulieM]

I haven't heard of fainting from fertilizers but I'd guess it's possible. I'd certainly have his heart checked, though - there are actually two heart conditions Boxers are prone to, Aortic Stenosis and Familial Ventricular Arrythmia (Boxer Cardiomyopathy). Your breeder was probably talking about FVA. AS *can* be definitively diagnosed/ruled out by Doppler echocardiogram after the age of 2 years. FVA cannot be definitively ruled out, but can be diagnosed, by a 24-hour Holter monitor (EKG). FVA is characterized by abnormal heartbeats called PVCs and this is what the Holter detects - if a high number of PVCs are detected, the dog has FVA (the actual minimum number that means a dog is affected is in question, but certainly if there are thousands all will agree the dog is affected). If the FVA is advanced enough to cause fainting episodes, it's likely that the PVCs will show up on the Holter. I'm assuming by your breeder's statement that she hasn't done any heart testing, so you won't have any family history to go by (both conditions are genetic). Both conditions can usually be treated (managed, anyway, although not cured) with medication. Testing must be done by a board-certified veterinary cardiologist - your regular vet will likely not have the experience needed to be able to accurately interpret the test results.

 

[mailrobc]

Julie - Thank you for responding to my post regarding our dog's fainting spells. I'm glad to receive some scientific information and would like to learn all I can about AS and FAV - can you suggest any resources? One of our vets mentioned it might be exercise-induced cardio stenosis, but our dog's heart rate increases normally with exercise, which the vet says rules out that possibility.

Thanks for your help!

 

[nordi10]

weedkiller , including Roundup

I have a weedkiller treatmend once a year for a firebreak inside my fenceline. While the guy is doing the spraying I keep Jack inside the house.After that I just keep an eye on Jack that he is not going to close to the treated area for a few days.I have not noticed any affect on Jack after the spraying.And Jack has not eaten any grass since I changed his diet over 3 years ago, but he helped him once on a 3 days dead kanguroo and I can tell you , Jack stank, not only did I wash him , I also rinsed his mouth with water.

Greetings from downunder

Ron

 

[JulieM]

There is a ton of information online about AS - it is very prevalent in Newfies, Goldens and Rotties. Here are a few good links- a search on "aortic stenosis dog" will bring up several more:

http://www.ovcnet.uoguelph.ca/ClinS.../Cardiology/Concepts/Concepts134-161.htm#140.

http://www.amrottclub.org/rccsas.html

http://www.amrottclub.org/sas1.htm

http://home.europa.com/~dshecklr/SAS.html

FVA is not as widely documented, as it is considered unique to the Boxer breed at this time. The ABC information on Boxer health is here, which will link you to all the ABC FVA (Boxer Cardiomyopathy) articles:

http://clubs.akc.org/abc/boxer-health.htm

Plus this site:

http://www.ovcnet.uoguelph.ca/ClinStudies/Courses/Public/Cardiology/Concepts/Concepts106-121.htm

The Boxer Underground http://www.boxerunderground.com also has a lot of information on both heart conditions, under Boxer Health/Genetics Issues.

 

[larryh]

pesticide danger myth

hope this info might lighten your concerns about pesticides and pets.I have owned pets large and small,and worked for a lawncare company(Chemlawn)during the 80's.Unless an animal has uncommon sensitivity to chemicals,I would not worry about your pet's exposure to anykind of weedkiller's(herbicides).The pesticide I would be more concerned with would be insecticides.These chemicals are a lot more toxic,and should be avoided if at all possible.I use a insecticide that is derived from rose petals and harmless to pets.It works great on fleas and ticks with 2-3 treatments during flea/tick season,which varies in different parts of the country.I bought this product at Home Depot,and get name of product if interested.But,as far concerns with herbicides I personaly would not be too concerned about exposure,for the product is sprayed in a dilluted form,which is absorbed by leaf of the target plant and would not be strong enough to be anywhere harmful.But keep in mind all humans and animal can have allergic reaction to any kind of chemicals(household of gardening)so always use common sense and avoid whenever possible. Larry

 

[mailrobc]

Thanks, Thoughts, and a Couple Funnies

Just an update on our fainting Boxer. It appears the weed killer may have caused an allergic reaction which exacerbated our dog's distress, but we have learned his heart and Boxer cardiomyopthy are the problem. We're seeing a vet who is a heart specialist and very knowledgeable about the disease.

This is the third major health problem our first Boxer has had - Boxer colitis (strictly watched and under control for the last 18 months) and low thyroid (very successfully treated with medication). Between our two Boxers, we spend 5-10% of our income every year on vet bills, meds, food, and toys. It really strikes me how a multitude of other Boxer owners around the world are dealing with heartbreaking illnesses, yet we continue to love the breed better than all others. And when our household capacity permits, we continue to adopt new Boxer pups, even knowing first hand the "risks". The Boxer breed is touched by both the magical and the divine.

Which reminds me of a joke -- which would be welcome at this serious moment! The dog looks at his master and thinks to himself, "This person is wonderful to me! He feeds me, he tenderly cares for me, he showers love on me! He must surely be a god!" The cat looks at his master and thinks to himself, "This person is wonderful to me! He feeds me, he cares for me, he showers love on me. I must surely be a god!"

Also -- there's a place near us that sells gourmet pet meals to go for people who are too busy even to feed their pets! Honest - this is their only business. Their slogan is: "Because dogs don't cook, and cats won't."